New York, Sept 22 (V7N) – Prime Minister Tarique Rahman has begun his official engagements at the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly by attending a welcome breakfast hosted by UN Secretary-General António Guterres at UN Headquarters in New York.
The breakfast brought together heads of state and government and their spouses at the beginning of the high-level week of the General Assembly. The event marked the start of the Prime Minister’s official UNGA programme during his visit to New York.
Following the breakfast, Tarique Rahman is scheduled to attend the opening of the 81st General Assembly and take part in a series of bilateral and courtesy meetings with world leaders and senior officials of international organisations.
His scheduled engagements on Tuesday include meetings with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Bhutanese Prime Minister Tshering Tobgay, World Bank Group President Ajay Banga and Haitian Prime Minister Alix Didier Fils-Aimé. He is also scheduled to meet European Council President António Costa, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Barham Salih, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk and the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy on Myanmar, Julie Bishop.
In the evening, the Prime Minister and his wife, Dr Zubaida Rahman, are scheduled to attend a reception hosted by US President Donald Trump for heads of state and government and their spouses.
Tarique Rahman arrived in New York on Monday evening to attend the 81st UNGA. A Turkish Airlines flight carrying the Prime Minister, his wife and members of his entourage landed at John F. Kennedy International Airport at about 6:20 p.m. local time following a stopover in Istanbul. He was received by Bangladesh’s Permanent Representative to the UN, Irene Khan, and Bangladesh Ambassador to the United States Tareq Md Ariful Islam.
A major focus of the visit will be the Prime Minister’s first address to the UN General Assembly as Bangladesh’s head of government. He is scheduled to deliver his address during the General Debate on September 24. He is also scheduled to meet UN Secretary-General António Guterres on the sidelines of the General Assembly.
The Prime Minister’s programme also includes high-level discussions on the Rohingya crisis, climate action, global inequality, maternal and newborn health, and economic cooperation. He is scheduled to leave New York for Dhaka on the night of September 25.
The 81st session of the UN General Assembly carries particular significance for Bangladesh as Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is serving as President of the General Assembly for the session.
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